The Seven Mortal Sins
by Mrotrax
Summary: Heresy. Perjury. Simony. Suicide. Contraception. Manipulation. Apathy. While not as deadly, they are sins nonetheless. These are the tales of the former pages of the Seven Deadly Sins.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It had started off as what Dreyfus had been intending: Congratulating Hauser and Gilthunder for defeating the barbarians and deflecting their concerns for the Holy War and putting more stress on the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins being the likely candidates for the threat they would have to face.

"Even if the Sins are the enemy, the Holy Knights outnumber them many times over." Hauser mused. "Plus, we got the New Gener..."

"You forget about their apprentices."

The two other knights turned to see Gilthunder as if he had sprouted another head.

"You've forgotten the Mortal Sins?" He reminded his uncle and friend. "They were former pages of the Sins…."

"You mean the ones who survived." Hauser remembered suddenly. The Sins, on top of their legendary cruelty, were also known for having the highest amount of deceased pages. "Wait, one of them was..."

"Indeed you are right..." Gilthunder sighed, cutting his childhood friend off before continuing. "While one stood out from the rest, they all went on to become a fearsome band in their own right. Single-handedly averting a swarm of dragons from attacking the kingdom, aiding the Paladins against a Forest God uprising, scaring the Fencers back to Franciosa…Honestly, if they had not vanished alongside their mentors after my father's murder, I have little doubt they would've held the current position the Roars of Dawn possess."

Dreyfus cursed himself for forgetting such important matters: If the Sins were to get in the way of his and Hendrickson's plans, then their apprentices would be sure to follow. Unlike the Roars, who answered to the king and the king alone, the Mortal Sins answered ONLY to their respective mentors. It was a miracle they had been so quiet in the 10 years since Zarathas' death.

"Thank you for the reminder, Gilthunder. Hauser, before you leave, please put out a bounty on the Mortal Sins, all alive…save for the Eagle Sin of Heresy. He's too dangerous to let live, like his master."

"But couldn't that chance a war with the kingdom of...?" The Wind using Holy Knight started.

"They have made no such attempt to even find him since he was first knighted, I doubt they'll care now." The Grandmaster retorted before turning to his nephew. "Gilthunder, stick to your current post and operations. I know you probably want a crack at the Eagle Sin, but the Seven Deadly Sins are a priority."

Gilthunder's usual clam, detached eyes furrowed and he cringed in anger, memories of a smirking, arrogant and yet powerful boy filling his mind.

"Understood."

The two lower ranking Knights then dismissed themselves, leaving Dreyfus to himself.

"This just got even more complicated..."

 **Read and Review, would ye kindly? Next chapter follows shortly!**


	2. Heresey

**Chapter 1: The Eagle Sin of Heresy**

 **Heresy:** _any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization._

18 years ago

 _SMACK!_

 _He fell to the ground, clutching his cheek as tears streaked the other one. Glancing above him, the matron and other staff looked down, disgust on their faces._

" _No one wants a bastard, do not make your existence even more pitiful by crying! Pray properly!"_

 _Four years old and already begging for help from invisible yet apparently omnipresent and omnipotent beings._

 _It never came._

 _Day in and day out it was the same: pray, pray, pray...and nothing._

 _That was his first realization: For all the supposed unlimited kindness and love of the Godesses, they didn't care._

12 Years ago (6 years later)

 _Then came his second realization._

 _He had fled the orphanage, making a hobby of destroying or defacing any church or temple he came across. To help further his rampages, he had stolen the hands off a statue and tied them together while putting them on a spear; making himself a bisento._

 _Not even old enough to drink and already he was feared by many. Many knights had fled when he came walking into this town; bakers and grocers offered him food and best of all; the priests begged and begged for the Godesses to strike him down...to no avail._

 _Something he always delighted in pointing out:_

" _If there really are Godesses, then may they strike me down. May they empower a Holy Knight to best me...may they convert me into a believer."_

 _This had been no different than his other rampages, but it was also the last._

 _No sooner had be begun to immerse and fully enjoy himself in the destruction, a band of Holy Knights, lead by a very short man who almost looked to be his own age, came forward and demanded he cease his action. He quickly defeated all but three of them; the aforemetioned leader, a woman and a man he swore was shrinking ever so slightly by the second._

 _The leader was the one to remind him of helplessness; defeating him without even looking at him; his back turned to him and a confidant smile on his face._

" _Why don't you come with us?" The short man had asked him as he lay on the ground. "You're pretty tough kid; you'd make a great Holy Knight with a little tuning."_

 _For some reason, he could feel the man and woman had breathed a sigh of relief and happiness when he accepted; Merlin and Escanor. In fact, for so long, they were never too far from him, but never too close either._

 _The shorter man? His name was Meliodas; a demon with more humanity than the supposed Gods and Goddesses, to say nothing of humanity in general. A demon that believed in him, trained him and gave him the one thing he'd never had before; unconditional faith._

 _His second revelation; kindness was often in the least likely place, and if you accepted it, it NEVER went away._

10 years ago (2 years later)

 _Then came strike three:_

 _He and his...friends, how weird it was to call them that, had come back from a mission when they saw the village in ruins. Their mentors' work, apparently._

" _What the hell is this?"_

 _He had stormed into the residence of Hendrickson, the new co-Grandmaster of the Holy Knights. Ordinarily, he would preferred to talk with Dreyfus, but he was currently grieving the loss of his brother and making sure his his wife and son were safe in the madness._

" _I recognize this may be hard for you, but surely you can understand, boy." Hendrickson had told him. "The Sins have betrayed us and will probably move to spark the Holy War..."_

" _The king and Zarathas told us to wait." He had reminded the man._

" _And now one of them is dead. I had foretold that your master couldn't be trusted."_

 _That was the first crack; Hendrickson had always been affable when Meliodas was around, but whenever not, he wasted no opportunity to badmouth the boy's master._

" _It's for the Godessess…"_

 _And then it all came back to him: the beatings, the blind and stupid loyalty and mocking._

" _TO HELL WITH GODS AND GODESSES!"_

 _Slamming his weapon into Hendrickson's chest with enough force that the knight went flying and his residence was reduced to rubble, the boy realized he had destroyed what good reputation he'd had...and did not regret it for a second._

" _Where are they, if they're so powerful? Why do they never aid us when we beg and grovel at their feet?"_

" _You and the masses lack belief and faith." Hendrickson gasped, pride in his Druid status blinding him. "The Godessesses serve only the ones with those."_

 _Those words solidified the boy's choice._

" _Well then...I REJECT ALL GODS AND GODDESSES!"_

 _By the time the ones who had been sent after him sounded retreat, a mountain of knights had decorated the town-centre; half dead, a third crippled and the rest traumatized._

7DS-7MS

In a neighbouring village from Lioness, about two weeks away on feet, there was an inn; the Dragon-Eagle's Prech. Decent booze, great food, a full staff and many, many rooms for a cheap price of a plam's of gold coins. Many of the villagers went there for meals alone, with some drunkedly singing and others sharing stories.

And within this inn, as there would be any other, there was a man.

He was a tall and lean young man with smooth fair skin, spiky red hair and red eyes with dark bags under them, the sign of long sleepless nights.

It was this man who had been remembering all the above incidents.

He was brought out of his musings amid washing his face by someone calling his name: A woman with tanned skin and short red hair decorated with a large blue flower that matched her blue eyes. She possessed a curvy and voluptuous figure that was accented by her choice of wardrobe: a shoulder-less cardigan with a maid-like dress and a pair of leg warmers and boots. A ring on her finger showed all men who looked at her lustfully, which was a great many, she was married.

And by the way she smiled and carried herself usually, very happily.

A little girl, obviously her daughter and no older than six years old, stood at her side and slightly hidden. Not in fear of the man who had been washing his face, mind you.

"There are some Knights here to see you." She explained, worry in her tone. "They know you by what everyone here calls you, but…"

He quickly made his way and gently cupped her chin into his thumb and index. Staring into her azure eyes, he smiled gently.

"I'll see them. Take the baby upstairs and wait for me on the balcony."

The little girl at the woman's side looked up at the man, sharing her mother's concerned look as she found herself lifted into the woman's arms.

"Who are they, papa?"

Her papa shot her a loving smile, trying to find the right words:

"..The past."

Mother and daughter left the room, the child giving each of the men her father would be talking to a look over.

"Your wife?" The long nosed knight asked curiously. "I just got engaged myself. Barmaid, but sweetest one you'll ever met. The ring alone cost me..."

"Shut up." The apparent leader of the group demanded.

"Sorry."

"What can I help you fellows with?" The man said with great courtesy. "We have scads of room in the Inn, although I doubt you'd request an audience with me for that."

"Our leader suffered grievous injuries earlier today." The tallest man explained. "We were told that the town doctor lived here."

"Indeed he does." The man replied with a bow and pointing to another room. "Please, bring him in, I'll see what I can do."

The mens' eyes widened in shock.

"You're the doctor?"

"That and much more." The man smiled with pride, taking out some of his medical tools.

Just then, a young woman, her face hidden by a veil and her formed adorned by a noble's robes, entered with a bored look on her face

"Sorry to barge in sir, but we're running low on the cider from that village. Should we...?"

"Yes, Kurumi." The man said. "There should be two more kegs down in the basement, get Rito to bring them once he finishes his break."

"Understood. Also, Mrs. Potts is growing concerned about..."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me." the man snapped his fingers in remembrance. He the reached under a shelf and tossed her vial. "Tell her to put three drops of this with each one of her son's meals; he should be right as rain day after tomorrow, and no worries if she puts in a little more."

Kurumi nodded and departed, leaving the man alone with the knights...right as another woman, dressed in the attire of a nun, entered.

"Oh goodness, apologies, gentlemen." She bowed before catching an oilsack that seemed to be close to bursting.

"Be sure to buy the orphans something nice." The man smiled as he turned to greet the nun and motion the men to follow him.

"Bless you." The nun smiled as she departed.

7DS-7MS

A few minutes later, the knights' commander, a giant of a man named Twigo, was fast asleep and bandaged.

"Give him a night and he should be good." The man noted. "You say a pig did this to him?"

"It was a big pig." The tallest of the knights weakly explained. "What exactly is it you do here?"

"I am an inn-keeper, a doctor and an alchemist." The man replied, not turning to the frowns on their faces.

Alchemy was reviled, while magic was welcomed. This was mainly because magic was a natural part of life, even if one did have to work to get at, while Alchemy could make imitations of precious materials. There was little doubt that this man had given the nun a sack of Gold

"Before you accuse me of anything," He noted. "I feel the urge to let you know that I am….rather popular in town since the plague seven years ago. That, and your superior officer will be out for at least a day or two, but townsfolk come here to see me daily."

"I suppose that's true." The tallest knight mused. "The townsfolk practically glared at us when we asked about you."

"Well, knights don't come to this village often, so folks are on edge whenever they show up. To say nothing of how the landowner would react if anything happened to me."

This got the knights' attention; while they had little doubt that some lord or noble owned the land the village was on, the way this man spoke made them fear just who had the power to put that kind of confidance in the village hero.

"And who might that be?"

"This town belongs by Denzel Liones." The alchemist explained as he took a drink. "We're often the first to hear of anything that befalls the royal family, for rather obvious reasons."

He then placed his mug down and glared at them.

"So...what do traitors like you have to say?"

It was at that moment that they knew….they'd done goofed.

"THE KING'S BROTHER OWNS THIS VILLAGE?!"

"It is for the sake of the villagers I do not press for information or let it leak out, Alaloni. The people here and kind and happy. Ignorant sometimes, but always in the best of ways. I aim to keep it like that."

The leader twitched in shock at the inn-keeper knowing his name

"Follow me." The man said, then adding: "The rest of you can take a room on the top the floor, save for the one with the blue door."

They did as he said.

"How do you know my name?" Alaloni asked once his men were gone.

"10 years is a long time, I suppose." The man mused. "And it seems, you've grown ambitious in that time. You used to go on and on about how you'd never be a Holy Knight."

"...Who are you?"

"...You really don't remember me, do you?" The man mused. With a sigh, he lifted up his shirt; where Alaloni saw a massive tattoo that took over most of the man's chest.

It was an Eagle.

"Not just Denzel. Everyone in this village has been incredibly kind to me in the past 10 years. They gave me a home, friends, a place to call my own, respect..." He smiled. "And love."

He glanced up to the balcony, where he saw wife tickling their giggling daughter and boopng her on the nose.

"W-y-you know we'll report this!"

The man, his eyes not leaving his wife and child's side, simply chuckled.

"Do you seriously believe your boss stands a chance against me? He's an apprentice and my master wiped with the floor with him. When I left the kingdom, I was a borderline Diamond-rank and led my own team...speaking of which, how has that crybaby Gilthunder been doing? Heard he finally manned up."

"He's become stronger than any of the sins!"

That caught the man's attention

"...Has he? Interesting." A smirk covered his face. "Might actually make me work for it, huh?"

Alaloni, realizing that the man wasn't intimidated by his threats, racked his brain trying to find a way out of this situation.

"Why don't you a grab a room and get some rest?" The inn-keeper smiled. "I'll have someone bring up meals to your rooms later. And don't worry about Twigo; he'll be fine...provided nothing happens to the villagers."

To exhausted to deny or defy the man, the knight turned around to do as he had been asked.

"So long Alaloni."

"You too…Avon."

7DS-7MS

 _The fourth strike came days after the third._

 _He'd been running for days, ignoring his injuries. He fell to the ground, exhausted and ready to give in to the sweet embrace of death._

 _He'd come far in his life; orphan, beater of Holy Knights, trained by a legend, lead his own team...and he was just barely old enough to drink as he died._

 _But death did not embrace him; it was mere exhaustion._

 _He had awoken on a bed, his wounds bandaged and a bowl of soup near him. The place smelled of manure, sweat and sickness, but at least he was still alive._

" _Oh, you're awake." Someone said. "We were begining to worry."_

" _W-where...?"_

" _Just an ordinary village." The voice answered. "A woodcutter's apprentice found you half-dead and brought you here. Sorry for the smell and cramped space, but its the best we could get with the Plague going through."_

" _It's fine..."_

 _The voice handed him the soup, which he was quick to down._

" _Thank you."_

 _Another voice, this one female, added:_

" _We tried to fix up your clothes and armour...but we don't have the right materials..."_

 _He saw what they meant; obvious stitching and welding of a lesser quality than Holy Knights were used to decorated his armour and robes_

" _Thank you..."_

 _A slew of voices, young, bright and cheerfully, began pelting him with questions:_

" _Are you a Holy Knight?"_

" _Were you in a fight?"_

" _How old are you?"_

 _Yet another voice, one with authority, came in._

" _Children, please. Let him rest."_

 _They did as they had been told as he began to see his saviours; peasants and orphans._

 _The fourth realization:_

 _It's the little people, the peasants and bumpkins that truly are what their supposed betters are supposed to be like._

7DS

Avon awoke with a start, panting and sweating.

"Baby, I'm here." a gentle voice cooed, making him lay back down. "I'm here. Breathe. Breathe."

He did so, distracting himself with his wife's eyes; like diamonds sparkling and contrasting her hair, decorated by the flower he had given her at their first meeting.

"There." She smiled, laying onto him and taking him into an embrace. "I got you, love."

Avon wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

A small part of him, obviously from his time under his master, delighted at the feeling of his wife's naked form on top of his own naked chest and made his thoughts go from saddened and forelorn to devious and ever so slightly perverse ('It's not that bad if you were married to her' he could hear his master say)...Before he saw her concerned face.

"Honey, it's okay. Tell me?"

"Nothing. It's stupid."

"Nothing is stupid. Please..." She begged. "Tell me."

"...the day I came here." Avon confessed. "The knights reminded me of it. And other days."

Her eyes softened even more and she kissed him. Before she could offer some help, however...

"Papa?"

Amelia, who had gotten up for a glass of water, had poked her head into their room.

Avon's thoughts vanished, as he smiled sweetly and reached for his daughter to join him and her mother. The little girl did just that and snuggled closely

7DS

A few days later, the Inn and town was rife with activity; men were drinking, children were playing and women were gossiping, a fire was raging in the kitchen...

A FIRE WAS RAGING THE KITCHEN?!

"DAMMIT!"

The mother and daughter dropped what the were doing to follow the voice; one that was cursing, dropping things and then roaring in anger.

"Papa's baking!" The little girl beamed happily, her mother giggling at her soot covered husband...as were the customers who had rushed to investigate.

"FALSE ALARM PEOPLE; AVON IS TRYING TO MAKE BREAD AGAIN!" One of them announced to the other patrons, who burst into laughter.

"Har har." Avon grumbled as he wiped himself clean. "Amelia, run over to Francis' and buy three loaves as fast as you can."

The little girl did as she had been told, with a practiced hop in her step and the coins she'd need already in her palm.

"I'll get it one day!" Avon declared loudly, ignoring his patron's disbelief. "I almost made it to Diamond-rank before puberty, slew dragons and stopped a Forest God, married the most beautiful woman in the world and fathered the cutest one...surely I can bake!"

His wife chuckled as she served some of the patrons and the door opened.

"Welcome...!" She started before seeing who was coming in.

"Do we really have time for this?" A nasally and childish voice asked with a sense of authority that probably wasn't deserved, considering the speaker was a pig.

"Hey, unless you want to be breakfast for us..." A short blonde man mused with a smile

"

"Cousin Stephine?" The woman asked in shock.

"Lizzy?" The woman retorted

"..Master?"

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